A Weekend With Pablo Picasso

Sitting half-naked in a cardboard box painted to resemble a bathtub, Herbert Siguenza launches into an imagined weekend in the life of Pablo Picasso in a manner that seems entirely fitting: balls out. Siguenza ― a painter and impassioned fan of Picasso who's known for his work in the performance group Culture Clash ― bases his solo show on a collection of utterances by the mercurial, prolific co-founder of the Cubist movement, setting it in the artist's studio on the coast of France in 1957. Tasked with creating six paintings and three vases in less than three days, Picasso, at the age of 76, becomes a whirling dervish of work and wild philosophizing. Though the countless famous quotes (including many heavy-handed statements about love, war and politics) and the protagonist's streak of two dozen Eureka moments in 90 minutes sometimes lends an air of staginess to the work, getting to watch Siguenza paint, prowl the stage and lovingly channel the spirit of an eccentric icon more than makes up for the moments of inauthenticity. Scenic designer Giulio Cesare Perrone creates an art studio fit for a legend and Victoria Petrovich's projection design synchs perfectly with the boldness of Siguenza's performance. Los Angeles Theater Center, 514 S. Spring St., downtown; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru May 1. (866) 811-4111, thelatc.org.
Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Starts: March 31. Continues through May 1, 2011